Page 67 of The Good Sister

I repeat the sentence in my head, making sure I had interpreted correctly. But I couldn’t have.

‘Mum saw my sister?’

‘Yes. She visited that very night, the night before your mum passed. At least, I think it was her . . .’

‘Small woman?’ I ask. ‘Dark hair with big blue eyes?’

‘Yes,’ she says. ‘That’s right.’

I can’t believe it. Rose visited Mum. Shevisitedher.

I let my head fall back against the armchair. Any anger I’d felt toward Rose dissipates in a second. What that must have meant to Mum. I only wish I’d been there to see it.

‘Is there anything else I can help you with, Fern?’ Onnab asks, after a brief silence.

‘No,’ I say, wiping a tear away. ‘You’ve already helped enough.’

Idon’t know how long I sit in the secret cupboard. It might be half an hour. It might be an hour. No-one bothers me. Every time I think it’s time to leave, I don’t even get to a standing position before I change my mind and decide to stay where I am. I am starting to suspect that I might spend the night in this cupboard, when I hear a gentle knock at the door.

‘Fern, there’s a gentleman here who would like to talk to you.’

It’s Carmel talking. I think about staying silent, pretending I’m not here. I can’t face anyone.

‘I told him I wasn’t sure if you were here or not. It’s . . . Wally? I can send him away, if you don’t want to–’

‘No!’ I say, too quickly and too loudly. ‘I’ll talk to him.’

I’m not thinking clearly, obviously. I have no explanation for the fact that I’m visibly pregnant. At the same time, I simply can’t be this near him andnotgo to him. It is a physical impossibility. For now, I put Mum’s death away in the back of my mind, to think about later. Wally and Mum all together is simply too much for me.

I practically run to the reception area. Carmel is at my heels. As Wally comes into view – wearing his suit again – I am so overcome that I can’t even manage a smile.

Neither can he. His eyes are fixed on my belly. ‘So it’s true,’ he says. ‘You’re pregnant.’

‘How did you know?’

‘Rose told me.’

‘What?’ I decide I must have misheard. ‘Rosetold you I was pregnant?’

He nods.

‘But when did you see Rose?’

Wally’s face gets a funny look to it then, like he is sucking the inside of his cheeks. I’m not sure if he’s confused or upset or even . . . angry. ‘Rose has visited me quite a few times over these past few months, Fern.’

Now I’m certain I’ve misheard.

‘She phoned me several months ago – she wanted to see me to talk about you, she said. She came to my office.’

It doesn’t make sense. Rose has spent these past few months tellingmenot to contact Wally. She couldn’t have contacted Wally herself.

‘She’s been back several times since,’ he says.

‘To talk aboutme? Why?’

‘Good question, since she’s barely mentioned you – not that first day or any other time.’

I struggle to take it in. ‘Well . . . what did she want then?’